I am on a David Tanis kick. I loved his platter of figs, and the first cookbook I bought after our travels, is heart of the artichoke. I made two of Tanis' recipes already today and have the fixings for another for tonight's dinner. I so appreciate that many of the dishes are super simple and quick to toss together. Tanis is great company in the kitchen.

Paul and I have been intrigued by the idea of making our own spirits, ciders, and beers. We have yet to take the plunge and brew our own, but I thought I'd get my toes wet by trying Tanis' Digestivo with Fresh Berries.

I think serving this berry digestif to dinner party guests would be a fun end to a meal. Or why not take a large jam jar full of the rosy concoction as a hostess gift, next time you are invited to eat at someone else's table.

Place washed berries in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Crush the berries and sugar between your fingers to combine. Pour vodka (or grappa) over the sugar/berry mixture. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.

Serve the digestif in small glasses. Use a spoon or small ladle to scoop some of the crushed berries into each glass. I would serve the digestif with tiny spoons so that everyone can scoop up the boozy berries. Why waste such deliciousness?

By the way... we also mixed the berry vodka with a little tonic for a delightful cocktail. Yum!

Emma! Ooooh I so want to make cider. Did you make apple or pear? Love the carboys:)

Stephanie, I think you'd love platter of figs. I actually read the book cover to cover ( a first for me with a cookbook.) The way Tanis talks about food is very inspiring! And your infused vodkas sound delish.... Wish I were on your Christmas list;)

I absolutely LOVE this idea! This digestif looks amazing and I bet the flavors were perfect. I once made my own limoncello and it came out pretty darn good. My husband and I have been talking about making beer. Have a great weekend!

Lisa, So cool that you made your own Limoncello. I need to give that one a try too. Let me know how the beer making goes. My husband and I found a shop in Berkeley where you can get all your own brewing gear. We're inspired!

Rosa, I bet kirsh would be great too:)

Jennifer, I know the bulging cookbook collection is a dangerous thing - but also so fun, right? I think you'd Enjoy Tanis' books. He really is amazing and the photos are stunning.

Love muddled, boozy berries! So awesome by the spoonful. I'm going to echo the glass comment. They are SUPER cool. What a great thing to bring back from Instanbul! I'm so impressed you got them home without breaking them...

Looks gorgeous - such pretty glasses. I adore macerating summer berries with just sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice (not many have escaped this fate so far this summer...) but I hadn't thought of adding alcohol!

We made apple cider, but it was from at least four different kinds of apples that we had picked earlier in the day. Of which one kind was my favorite, the ever-lovely Cortland!

We just made some of this digestif over the weekend, after picking as many wild raspberries as we could find (admittedly, not too many... the mosquitoes were victorious). Unfortunately, there was no sugar up at the cabin we were at, so we ended up mixing the infusion into some orange juice, for a POW-ed up screwdriver! Pow!

Poire au Chocolat - I usually gobble up berries so quickly that I never thought to macerate them in lemon and sugar. What a great idea. Really what isn't delicious with lemon and sugar!

Jamie, Thanks! I love the simplicity too.

Emma, So cool about your cider. Must say, I don't know the Cortland. I must be really missing out. I'm so inspired by your cider making - we must try this fall:) And that berry screwdriver sounds damn tasty!

I too think the drink looks especially inviting due to your wonderful photography and those groovy glasses. I love how something so standard in one country gets so many ooh's and aah's in another country.